Dressing To The Tens
Do you know the Rule of Ten for getting dressed?
Have you ever gotten dressed, looked in the mirror, and wondered if your outfit is a bit uninspired? Do you ever feel overlooked because of what you wear? Or perhaps your outfits are very busy, and your clothes are the focus of people’s attention.
To create a polished and strategic look, our goal is to choose items that captivate people’s attention without overwhelming them. Do you know when to amp up your outfit to avoid looking boring? Or when to scale a busy outfit back to keep the focus on you—not your clothes? The Rule of 10 is the answer!
What is the Rule of 10? The Rule of 10 says the optimal number of items that should be vying for attention in an outfit is 10. This trick works for men and women. Here is how to use the Rule of 10:
Step 1: Count What You Are Wearing
Each item is worth 1 point. Examples of what to count:
- Shirt, jacket, pants, skirt, socks, shoes
- Patterns on clothing add 1 point (ex.: flower print blouse = 2 points)
- Eyewear, necklace, earrings, rings, scarf, hat
- Hair accessories, unnatural hair colors
- Extreme make-up, colored nail polish, visible tattoo
Step 2: Evaluate Your Outfit’s Score
- 1-5 points = At risk of being boring
- 6-10 points = Visually interesting
- 10+ points = At risk of being too busy
For example, let’s count the 10 items pictured in this outfit:
Being remembered for the right reasons often begins in our closet. The next time you get dressed, take a moment to count the number of items that you are wearing. Five or under? Consider adding another element to your outfit. Over ten? Consider whether you could ditch an item or two. Remember, the goal is to captivates people’s attention without overwhelming them.
Want to learn more about the power of your clothing? Read our blog titled What Do Your Clothes Say About You?.
